The importance of maintaining adequate hydration during athletic competition is widely recognized. Athletes with a range of experience and abilities are well aware that their performance and well-being may be adversely affected if they do not consume sufficient fluids to avoid dehydration. The diverse nature of specific athletic competitions has led to diverse ways in which hydrating fluids are made available to and consumed by the athletes participating in these competitions.
A number of different hydration devices have been proposed that enable cyclists to obtain hydrating fluids and maintain hydration during both competition and training some of these devices have also been adapted for use by those participating in other sports, including hiking, inline skating, canoeing, kayaking, rowing, cross-country skiing, and similar endurance sports activities that may involve moving long distances through areas where hydrating fluids may not be readily available. U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,833 to Edison; U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,368 to Bekkedahl; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,344 to Bradley are examples of hydration systems that rely on a bicycle-mounted or a back-mounted fluid container that may be accessed by the athlete using a flexible tube connected to the container. Although such devices and systems may be accessed by the athlete to take in fluids without stopping the athletic activity, the flexible tube connected to the container may not always be readily available and may require some effort by the athlete to locate so that fluid can be drawn into the mouth. This problem has been addressed by providing various structures that keep the mouth end of the flexible tube located on the athlete's head, for example attached to a helmet, as shown by Bradley in U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,344. An additional disadvantage of these devices is that they are not universally useful with fluid containers that are different from those specifically described in the foregoing patents. For example, at points during exercise or competition, an athlete may be handed a container with a sports drink by a coach or a volunteer that the athlete could not access with these systems.
Wearable containers designed for runners and other athletes that improve access to hydrating fluids have also been proposed. Janus describes a “joggers aid” in U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,719 that hangs around the user's neck and is accessed with a straw held in place by projections on the front of the container. The Janus device neck strap and hanging water container, which is likely to bounce against a runner's chest during competition, does not appear to be a comfortable hydration solution. The fluid in the wearable container described by Schallaci in U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,811 must be accessed by removing a cap and drinking from the container after the container has been removed from the athlete's body. Like the Janus device, the Schallaci device does not appear to be a hydration solution likely to appeal to runners interested in obtaining a competitive advantage while maximizing hydration.
Hydration devices and systems similar to those described above may work well to enable runners to stay hydrated during training runs. However, runners face challenges obtaining adequate hydration without compromising performance during road races and like competitions. The current practice for the vast majority of road and trail races is to provide water stops located at intervals along the race course. At water stops, race personnel or volunteers maintain a supply of open top cups, typically on a table or other flat surface. As a runner passes a water stop, she or he may pick up a cup of water or other hydrating fluid from the table or be handed a cup of water by a person at the water stop. To minimize the time spent in obtaining a cup of water, the runner usually grabs the cup as quickly as possible while still running. It is very difficult to drink from an open top cup of liquid while continuing to maintain a running pace without spilling much of the water or inhaling it through the nose. A runner must stop running to drink a maximum amount of the liquid in the cup or risk choking. In the first situation, the runner may not obtain an adequate amount of fluid to meet hydration needs and may have to adjust her or his stride and pace. In the second situation, the time it takes the runner to stop and drink breaks the runner's stride and pace and adds to the time it will take the runner to get back on pace and, ultimately, finish the race. In a short race, such as a 5 K (kilometers) competition, the amount of water consumed may be adequate or the time required to drink may be made up during the race. A longer race, for example a 10 K or 10 mile race, a half marathon, or a marathon, with more water stops may present different challenges. The water lost while drinking on the run may affect a runner's hydration level as well as the runner's race pace, or the time required to stop and drink will adversely affect the runner's race time.
To minimize race time spent at water stops and maximize fluid intake, some runners carry a short drinking straw with them to insert into the cups of fluid available at water stops. While this practice has been somewhat helpful, a runner must constantly be aware of where the straw is when she or he approaches a water stop. A straw held in a runner's hand or stuck in a waistband or other clothing structure may be uncomfortable and is easily lost and, therefore, unavailable when needed. Straws designed to be used by runners during competitions are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,851 by Adaska et al and in German Patent Application Publication DE10238545A1 by Wipper. The Adaska et al drinking straw is bendable and includes a circular apertured mouthpiece curved to contact the user's lips toward one end and a clip at an opposite end intended to fasten the straw to the user's clothing when not in use. This design will be awkward to use when a runner is focused on running a competitive race and not on which end of a straw should be inserted in the mouth or in the cup of fluid obtained from a water stop. If the runner grabs the straw at a water stop and inadvertently attempts to insert the straw with the clip end in the mouth and the mouthpiece end in the cup, the result could be a cut lip or mouth from the clip, which is shown to resemble a typical pen or pencil clip in shape. Depending on the size of the fluid cups available, the mouthpiece may or may not fit all the way in the cup, potentially limiting the amount of fluid that may be accessed through the straw. Further, the straw clip proposed is required to be attached to a user's clothing, and suitable attachment locations are very limited on the race clothing worn by most runners. Unless a clip exerts a sufficiently strong spring action to hold it in place on a runner's race clothing, moreover, it could be easily lost. A spring action strong enough to hold the straw in place may also make it more difficult for a runner to remove when approaching a water stop.
The device described and shown by Wipper, intended to permit a runner to continue running while drinking, includes a straw adapted to be supported by a connecting piece attached to a string, cord, or chain and hung around the runner's neck. The Wipper device may overcome some of the challenges presented by the devices described above, but additional challenges remain. Since the Wipper device hangs around a runner's neck, it will move freely and bounce against the chest during a race. Wipper suggests that a connection point may be provided to attach the straw to the user's clothes. Other than showing a possible location for such a connection point, there is no disclosure either of specific structure for achieving such a connection or of how a connection between the structure shown and a runner's clothing may be made. Unless the Wipper device is attached to a runner by more than a neck cord, it is likely to be more of a hindrance than a help during a race, as the straw on the neck cord could end up with the cord in front and the straw in back or uncomfortably wrapped around the runner's neck. In neither situation would a runner in a race be able to effectively use the straw to drink fluids without first thinking about untangling it and/or moving it into a position that will enable the runner to drink. It could be difficult for a runner trying to position a straw to maintain a desired pace and stride while obtaining fluid needed for adequate hydration.
The prior art, therefore, has failed to provide a race hydration system for athletes, particularly runners, for use during competition that effectively enables the athlete to obtain optimal hydration while permitting the athlete to maintain a desired race pace and/or speed. A need exists for such a race hydration system.